When you are learning Japanese, you are bound to run into: そうです、ようです、らしい、and　みたいです.

Learning just these four simple expressions allows you to say so many different things in Japanese.

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そうです has 2 distinct meanings when it is attached to a noun, adjective, or verb.

The first is hearsay, meaning someone heard something and is now repeating the information. You can use そう when you hear something in the news, from a friend, or even if you are just repeating gossip

When そうです denotes hearsay, you attach it after the verb, or noun, without any changes.

For example: する verbs become するそうです

新聞によると、その地震で３人が死亡したそうだ。
しんぶん　によると、その　じしん　で　さんにん　が　しぼうした　そうだ。
According to the newspaper, it seems the earthquake caused 3 deaths.
Literally: “newspaper + according to + that + earthquake + で + 3 people + が + died + そうだ”
Note: You can replace です with だ for a more casual sentence.

お母さんに彼氏が出来たそうだ。
おかあさん　に　かれし　が　できた　そう　だ。
I heard my Mom got a boyfriend. // Apparently my mom got a boyfriend.
Literally: “mother + に + boyfriend + が + got + そうだ”

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The second meaning of そう is an impression of something. This is used for something you think or feel; it is your opinion. You would never use this そう with facts.

When そうです denotes impression, you attach it to adjectives by shortening the adjective and then adding そう.
For example おいしい becomes おいしそうです "seems delicious" and 寒い （さむい）becomes 寒そうです（さむそうです）"seems cold."
Note: For negative adjectives add さ before attaching そう.
For example: おいしくなさそう　"Doesn't seem delicious"

For verbs, you simply attach it to the ます-stem of a verb.
For example: 降る（ふる）becomes 降りそうです（ふりそうです）"seems like (rain) is falling."

この映画、面白そうだね！
この　えいが、おもしろそう　だね！
This movie seems interesting!
Literally: “this + movie + interesting + seems like + だね”

その仕事は予定より長くかかりそうです。
その　しごと　は　よてい　より　ながく　かかり　そうです。
That job seems like it will take longer than planned.
Literally: “that + job + は + plan + より + long + take time + seems like”

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らしい　also has two distinct meanings. The first one is also hearsay, and can be used in the same way as そう, when you hear something and want to repeat the information.

社長が２週間前、離婚したらしいよ。
しゃちょう　が　にしゅうかん　まえ、りこんした　らしいよ。
I heard the president got divorced 2 weeks ago. // They're saying the president got divorced 2 weeks ago.
Literally: “the company president + が + 2 weeks + before + divorced + seems like + よ”

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The second meaning of らしい is “typical image of,” or “the ideal image of.” Therefore, when you are describing what you think a regular spring day would look like, you would use 春らしい（はるらしい）or “typical spring.”

Or when your grandmother dyes her hair pink, or wears Led Zeppelin shirts and jeans with holes in them, you would say:

うちのおばあちゃんはあまり年寄りらしくない。
うち　の　おばあちゃん　は　あまり　としより　らしくない。
My grandma isn’t the typical old person.
Literally: “my + grandmother + は+ kinda + old person + doesn’t seem like”

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ようですand みたいです are both very similar and only have slight grammatical differences. So in this lesson, we will treat them as one.

ようです ・みたいです have 3 distinct meanings and usages.
The first one is a guess based on facts. This is different from そうです because it is not your opinion of something; it is a concrete guess that is most likely true.

Imagine you're at a bar with friends. You go to order a drink at the bar, and you happen to have a conversation with the guy next to you. He mentions things like his "operating rooms" and "scrubs" in relation to his work. Drinks in hand, you go back to where your friend is, and he or she asks who that guy at the bar was. You could say...

医者のようです。
いしゃ　の　ようです。
It seems that he's a doctor.
Literally: “doctor + seems like”
Note: When used after a noun の always precedes ようです. This is not the case for みたい.

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The second use of ようです・みたいです is metaphorical expressions. This is the easiest way to use metaphors in Japanese.

この犬超ふわふわ！雲みたい！
この　いぬ　ちょう　ふわふわ！くも　みたい！
This dog is so fluffy! It’s like a cloud!
Literally: “that + white + dog + fluffy + ね + cloud + seems like”

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The last meaning of ようです・みたいです is when you use a concrete example for an explanation.

「ハロウィン」とか「13日の金曜日」みたいなホラー映画が好きだ。
「はろうぃん」　とか「じゅうさんにち　の　きんようび」　みたいな　ほらーえいが　が　すき　だ。
I love horror movies like Halloween and Friday the 13th.
Literally: “Halloween + and + Friday the 13th + like + horror movie + が + love”

ゴードン・ラムゼイのようなすばらしいシェフになりたい。
ゴードン・ラムゼイ　の　ような　すばらしい　シェフ　に　なりたい。
I want to be a great chef like Gordon Ramsay.
Literally: “Gordon Ramsay + like + な + great + chef + want to become”

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This lesson was written by Cassy L., a guest contributor: